Its nucleus was the pre-war Mechanized Cavalry Regiment, augmented with captured Italian tankettes and cars, motorcycles and Universal Carriers provided by the British.

[1] The division confronted the German invasion of Greece on 6 April 1941, covering the left flank of the Eastern Macedonia Army Section defending the forts of the Metaxas Line.

[5] With this equipment at hand, the Greek GHQ issued an order (ΑΠ 7014) on 15 January 1941 for the establishment of the 19th Mechanized Division at Athens, under Major General Nikolaos Lioumbas.

The tanks had to be driven all the way from the front in Albania to the division's new staging area at Kilkis, which resulted in two falling out of action and considerable wear on the rest, a major headache in view of the almost complete lack of spare parts.

Charrington, commander of the British 1st Armoured Brigade, described it as "recently enlisted garage hands", with "no possible prospect of fighting usefully as a mobile force".

[13] However, on 20 March, the division was redeployed north, around Lake Doiran, on anti-paratrooper duties, leaving the Olympus sector to be covered by overstretched New Zealand troops.

[14] On 28–29 March, in the face of the looming German invasion, the division moved further northeast to the area of Kilkis and Lachanas, coming under the control of the Eastern Macedonia Army Section (TSAM).

[7][15] The remainder of the division was tasked with three possible missions: securing the border sector Lake Doiran–Polykastro, currently lightly held by the 9th Border Sector; the reinforcement of the Mount Krousia defensive line, held by the Krousia Detachment (Απόσπασμα Κρουσίων); and covering the Group of Divisions' retreat should they be forced to abandon the main defensive line along Mount Beles.

[7][15] On 4 April, the division was reinforced by the newly constituted IVb Mountain Artillery Battalion (IVβ Μοίρα Ορειβατικού Πυροβολικού), of two 4-gun batteries with Skoda 75 mm guns captured from the Italians.

[15] Preceded by mixed Universal Carrier and motorcycle reconnaissance detachments, the 192nd and 193rd Regiments began moving to their designated areas after noon, and arrived there at nightfall.

[17][15] At this point, 192nd Regiment could muster only 295 men, while another 241 could not be moved by vehicle—presumably due to a large number of breakdowns and the lack of spare parts and were ordered to proceed to Kilkis.

[18][20] During the night, the division was allocated reinforcements from the 1st Security Battalion of Thessaloniki in the form of two infantry companies (one for each of the 192nd and 193rd Regiments), two MG squads and a 75 mm battery.

[21] Early in the morning of 7 April, the Germans launched an attack through the level plain between Lake Doiran and the mountains, but was repelled and retreated north of Mouries.

The division took over the troops of the 11th Border Sector as well, while the remainder of the 1st Security Battalion (a further two infantry companies and MG squads) and three 3.7 cm Flak guns were sent as reinforcements, denuding Thessaloniki of virtually any military unit.

These units had barely arrived at Akritas and occupied the Oveliskos height, when the German forces appeared at 06:00 in the form of two armoured columns with aerial support.

The German attack forced the elements of 193rd Regiment to abandon the height and withdraw south towards Akritas, where the 19th Reconnaissance Group had begun arriving.

Unable to resist the German attack, after a brief struggle, in which they reported two enemy tanks destroyed, the Greek forces defending Akritas retreated to the heights south of the village.

As a result, the surviving forces of the 193rd Regiment and the 19th Reconnaissance Group became de facto encircled and cut off by the two fast-moving German columns, as were the companies of the 9th Border Sector on the division's extreme left.

Most of the other units in the Krousia sector first withdrew to the heights north and northeast of the Panorama village, while 2nd Transport Security Battalion and 2nd Cavalry Regiment headed directly for Elliniko.

192nd Regiment's Foot Battalion also withdrew to the heights north of Panorama, but was soon flanked on its left by the Germans, and was forced to withdraw to Kentriko, where it arrived c. 04:30.